


Benched

by bleachedthumbs



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, M/M, Major Character Injury, daisuga - Freeform, hinata and kageyama are only mentioned briefly, suga plays his final game without knowing, unnamed opposing team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 23:37:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19120042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleachedthumbs/pseuds/bleachedthumbs
Summary: Inspired by that prompt list going round twitter; specifically "You need to leave right now."





	Benched

Volleyball courts tend to be loud places, particularly in gyms with multiple games. The sound of crowd chants are enough to deafen the unexpecting alone.   
And yet, nothing quite cuts through the cacophony of noise quite like a scream of pain.

 

Karasuno found themselves 2 sets deeps into a game that kept them tethered, no matter how hard they tried to fly. It was early numbers in the second set, yet Kageyama had already thrown fists with Hinata more times than possible to keep track of. Ukai found that every time he turned away, be it for a second or less, he turned back to see the two of them tangled in a fight. It seemed the stress of the game had gotten to Kageyama, and as expected, Hinata was his outlet. Unfortunately, however, that makes for terrible team morale and even worse play.

That’s why, still early in the second set, Kageyama found himself temporarily benched, with Sugawara stepping in with a spring in his step.

Suga found out that his joy of being on the court again was quickly to be cut short, however. The opposition were clever, wielding players both strong in mind and body. Having watched Sugawara join the stage with a smile to rival Hinata’s, they immediately made him the target, bombarding him before he had a chance to meld with the game. An attempt to weaken the team dynamic.

 For the most part, Suga had been able to receive the spikes and serves aimed at him, even if it did catch him off guard. This, however, made the opposition only more determined.

Sugawara was a setter, not a blocker, or a spiker, and definitely not a libero. Of course he knew how to receive, and he was fairly decent at it, but that wasn’t supposed to be his job on court, and he definitely wasn’t used to having an opposing ace aim for him.

Yet, he found himself, arms held forward and heart racing as he watched the ball speed towards him. He wanted to move. The ball was too fast for him to receive. He wanted to move. He wanted to move. He wanted to m-

 

No one knows what happened. No one knows how it happened. No one even knew it _was_ happening until Suga screamed out, in real fear, real pain, before collapsing to the floor.

“SUGA!” The court blurred around Daichi as he sped towards Suga, the rest of the team following close behind.

Kneeling beside him, Daichi scanned over his body, before stopping his gaze at Suga’s tearstained face. “Suga what happened? Where does it hurt?”

“I can’t move my arm. Daichi, I can’t- I can’t move it.”

“Shit. Shit... Okay. Alright. You’re okay. You’re okay. Can you sit up?”

Suga attempted to prop himself up, slowly and gently, avoiding the use of his wounded left arm. Breathing through his teeth, wincing, he felt the pain spread to his chest. But he was fine. He was adamantly okay.

Except, he wasn’t, not even remotely. The pain was burning like flames through his shoulder, through his collarbone. He lost his pace of breathing, desperately trying to keep the flow of air into his lungs as even as possible. But he wasn’t ready to accept this. He wasn’t ready to leave the court. He was sure he could play one-handed if necessary, he could play through the pain. Maybe.

“Coach’s gone to fetch the first responder. Can you show me where it hurts?” Daichi hands found itself cupping Suga’s face, the pad of his thumb gently stroking his cheekbone, wiping tears and trying to calm him. “Babe?” 

Making a small gesture to his left shoulder, Suga looked away as Daichi carefully moved his collar enough to see the damage.

A sharp gasp cut through the mumbles that began to build through the gym, silence falling over both teams. The sight of Sugawara’s shoulder filled Daichi with a deep dread as he began to comprehend the severity of Suga’s situation.

“Daichi...?”

“Shit. Suga, this looks really bad-“

“What? No! No, I’m fine.”

“I promise, your arm is not meant to look like this.”

“Shut up, I’m fine. I can keep playing. I can keep playing... I’m fine.” Suga’s words fell into whispers, tears cascading down his face.

“Kōshi... you’re not. You have to leave right now. You need medical attention.”

“Daichi-“ 

“You need to go with the nurse. Please, Suga.”

  

~ ~ ~

 

“Unfortunately, it looks like you’ve dislocated your shoulder.”

“Is that... bad?”

“Well, yes. Due to the force of the blow, you’ve likely not only popped your shoulder, but torn connecting ligaments. It’s not uncommon in volleyball but it is a serious injury that will take time to repair. You’re looking at about 12 to 16 weeks before you can even think about playing again. 

Suga’s heart stops, breath caught in his chest, a slow suffocation. He can hear the nurse talking but he doesn’t listen, he can’t.

He can’t.

 

_He can’t play anymore._

 

Suga’s attention comes back only when the nurse begins calling his name, a muffled drone snapping into blistering reality.

“Uh, I’m sorry, what was that?" 

“I said, you still need to go to a hospital immediately. You shoulder’s still disconnected, and they need to x-ray for fractures before reduction. The adrenaline will probably wear off soon so you’ll want to be somewhere with strong painkillers. Is there anyone you’d like to come with you?”

“Um...” He wants to say yes. He needs Daichi with him, but he knows he can’t pull the captain out of this game. _He_ might not be able to play anymore but he won’t take that from the rest of the team. “No... it’s fine.”

“Okay, I’ll go tell your coach what’s happening then. Please wait here.”

 

~ ~ ~

  

The screech of the whistle stops the court, a time out, drawing Daichi’s attention to the bench. A bout of confusion spreads through Karasuno as their coach pulls Daichi aside, quietly questioning murmurs from the opposition.

“It looks like it’s pretty serious, he’s being taken to an emergency clinic.” 

“What? Wh-“ Daichi frantically scans around trying to assess his options, panicked thoughts fogging his mind, responsibility as captain weighing heavy on his shoulders. Leaving the team to fight alone, especially after so many subs, seems unfathomable to Daichi, but knowing Suga’s in pain, and working through it alone...

“Go. They’ll be okay.”

“I-"

“Just go, Daichi. They’re a strong team, trust in them.”

“...yes.” He pauses, glancing over to cautious huddle they’ve formed, searching out. He meets Ennoshita’s gaze, desperately trying to convey his plan. He nods, an acknowledgment to Daichi, and a vow to step up. “Yes. Thank you, coach.”

Rubber soles squeaking against the polished court floor, Daichi runs from the gym, legs barely keeping up with his own pace as he sprints to find Suga.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Thundering footsteps race down the corridor catching Suga’s attention, a break in his train of thought. Looking up he finds Daichi, holding the doorframe in support, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Suga...”

“I told them not to get anyone.” Suga sighs, yet the slight smile forming in the corner of his mouth betrays his façade.

It doesn’t take long for Daichi to be filled in on the weight of Suga’s situation. Every sentence the nurse speaks drives home how bad this is, and Daichi can’t lift the weight in his chest by the time they’re finished. Standing beside Suga, he rubs gentle circles on his back, being mindful not to press too close to his shoulder.

“You’ll be okay.”

“Yeah... Yeah.”

“You could go to physio, start repairing your shoulder quicker.”

Suga hesitates, already regretting what he plans to say. “...is there any point?”

“What? Of course there’s a point Suga, there’s alw-“

“Daichi. Stop."

“...babe.”

“There’s, there’s not many matches left. And after this, it’s over for us third years. Hell, it was over for me about half an hour ago.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t have enough time to repair my shoulder before the season ends. I’m benched. For good this time.”

A heavy silence fills the room, Daichi at a loss for words. They both know Suga’s right, but Daichi can’t find it in himself to agree. If he agrees, if he acknowledges that this was Suga’s last ever game, the last time they’ll play on a court together, that would mean it was true. Daichi wasn’t ready to accept that reality.

“I don’t regret it though. Being subbed in. I mean, I would have liked a better ending, but I’m glad I got to be on the court one last time with you.”

“You make it sound like you’re dying.”

“Trust me Daichi, it fucking feels like it.” He laughs dryly, but his smile’s not quite there.

Not anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading!!   
> ive never written anything for hq n i am like only 40 chapters into the manga so i hope i still managed to write in character skjsjsk
> 
> [come find me on twitter over @ bleachedthumbs]


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